Natick's snow plowing bill highest in decade

This year's town snowplowing bill was the highest in a decade, Public Works Director Charles Sisitsky said.

Charlie Breitrose/Daily News staff

This year's town snowplowing bill was the highest in a decade, Public Works Director Charles Sisitsky said.

This week, selectmen approved $100,000 in supplementary funds for this year's snow and ice removal budget, bringing the total up to $900,000. The rough winter helped drive up the cost, Sisitsky said. Natick received about 60 inches of snowfall over the winter, according to the National Weather Service.

"We had a snowy winter," Sisitsky said. "There were a lot of (storms) and the total inches of snow was high."

The end of the year total also included about $65,000 to stockpile salt for next winter, Sisitsky said. Next year, the price of salt is expected to be significantly higher.

The price of diesel fuel also affected the snow budget, Sisitsky said.

"Diesel is very expensive," Sisitsky said. "We don't pay what you see at pump, which is about $4.50 a gallon for diesel, but it is high."

The town spent $40,430 on fuel for plowing, sanding and salting this winter.

Sisitsky has records of snow removal costs going back to 1998, and no year has been higher than 2008. The next highest year, Sisitsky said, was 2005, when Natick spent more than $895,000 on snow removal and salting.

"In '05 there was a big storm. And in '05 FEMA reimbursed us for $175,000 because it was a big storm," Sisitsky said.

Sisitsky said he heard the Legislature or the governor may come up with money to reimburse communities for the high snow bills this year.

The governor's supplemental budget includes $13.1 million for snow and ice removal, but the money is not destined for communities, said Adam Hurtubise, spokesman with the Executive Office of Transportation.

"(The bill) includes $13.1 million to reimburse the state contractors who have cleared snow off the roads," Hurtubise said. "They are responsible for highways under Mass Highway's jurisdiction or (Department of Conservation and Recreation) roads."

(Charlie Breitrose can be reached at 508-626-3964 or cbreitro@cnc.com.)

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